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Is it possible to be an authoritative buffoon?
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Without question - yes. There is a point when you have to stop the intrusions, even if it means you just come out and tell them to do this or that. It may not be funny or entertaining or whatever, but you must draw a line somewhere.
You are always going to have idiots that think it would be funny to do <insert something stupid> to the clown/stiltwalker/magician/etc, but you have to dissuade them from disrupting the entertainment for everyone else.
Ideally the event sponsors have security or a spotter, but this is not so as often (or moreso) than it is avaliable.
When I stiltwalk at festivals and overhear someone talking about how funny it would be to push me or whatever, I try friendly patter to nip it in the bud. If it doesn't put and end to it and/or they look like they may act on the rubbish, I offer them a fair warning; something along the lines of "If you try to push me I'm going to kick you with my stilts," and let them know that they are made of metal and have fairly sharp angles that will send them to the Emergency Room.
Stealing a clown nose isn't quite as detrimental as being pushed from stilts, but it is disruptive nonetheless. Find an event coordinator, security officer, or cop and put an end to it. If the get off with your property report it.
I use to just try to laugh it off but my patience is too thin for the morons that are making their way into the crowds these days.
Most likely, these aren't the type of people who would hire me for a private gig anyway so Im not losing their business, and I tend not to associate with that calber of person so Im not losing a friend. What else can you get out of them? - Send them packing
imo.
A party atmosphere is different than open strolling at a fair, festival, etc - At a party you can get to the host fairly easy and put a stop to the situation. In strolling in a larger environment, you have to set your boundaries and put a stop to the nonsense that you will occassionally encounter.